Australian firefighters call Apple Maps 'dangerous'

There seems to be no end to the grievances when it comes to Australia and the inaccuracy of Apple's mapping information. Case in point: The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Australia's Country Fire Authority (CFA) is claiming Apple Maps is responsible for creating "potentially dangerous situations" for those using the agency's FireReady iOS app to determine the location of wildfires.

The CFA contends that it was "forced" to use Apple Maps within its app, despite the fact that Google offers an SDK to integrate its maps within iOS apps. Perhaps the CFA wasn't aware of this fact, in which case this seems like an open door for Google to swoop in and save the day in a PR win.

The problem the CFA has with Apple's maps involves the placement of labels for townships, which appear centered in their respective regions rather than over the actual towns they represent. The fact that they're not visible at all zoom levels is also of concern. You'll remember that Apple Maps caused a bit of a stir in Australia back in December 2012 for a more significant misplacing of a town, when Mildura was transported 70 kilometers from its actual location, causing motorists to drive into the middle of the Murray-Sunset National Park instead.